How To Find A Therapist

Many who’ve decided that speaking to a therapist or counselor is the next step toward mental wellness don’t know where to start, or how to find the counselor that’s right for them. It’s intimidating. Effective therapy requires trust. That can be difficult to create with a stranger, especially one whom you may know nothing about.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, which annually honors the importance of mental health treatment in the U.S. As a provider of mental health care, Guidance Teletherapy’s goal is to make treatment affordable and accessible. Individuals searching for just that find our site, but may not find a therapist who’s licensed in their area, or who specializes in the services they need. To honor the theme of the month, and our goal of accessible treatment, we will help guide you on how to find the right therapist.

While we can’t tell you who the right provider may be, we can give you tips to help you find the best fit. The most important thing is to keep an open mind. It can take multiple tries to find the perfect fit. If you do start to see someone, don’t be afraid to let them know if you don’t think working with them is working out. Your first therapist may not be the right therapist. Keep searching and making notes about what was and wasn’t helpful.

What should I do before I start therapy?

Before you even start your first session, there are a few important things you’ll want to think about.

Are you in crisis?

Therapy is incredibly helpful for dealing with a variety of concerns. However, sometimes just making an appointment isn’t enough. If you feel that you are currently a danger to yourself or others, or if you have active thoughts or plans to kill yourself or someone else, it’s important that you seek help right away. Call 911, The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1.800.273.8255, or your local crisis hotline.

Are you committed to change?

If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve probably been through the hardest part: admitting that you want help. Acceptance is a huge achievement, and you should be proud of it. But the process of changing takes work, and won’t happen overnight. Some days will be harder than others, so be patient with yourself. Practice self-compassion, and remember that you wanted therapy for a reason. It’s also important to note that sometimes, after entering therapy, you start to feel worse instead of better. That’s because you are opening up parts of yourself that you hadn’t before. That can be scary. When you start to feel this way, you must communicate it to your therapist. 

What do you want out of therapy?

It’s okay if you don’t have a perfect answer, but it can be helpful in your search if you know why you want to pursue therapy. Maybe you want to develop coping skills, or break a bad habit. Maybe you need to learn how to improve your mood. If you’re having trouble verbalizing it, ask yourself: If I were to wake up tomorrow and things would be better, what would be different? What would that look like? Then, write the answer down. That’s what you want out of therapy.

Should you see someone in person or online?

When choosing a therapist, you may default to the traditional in-office treatment. Some people simply learn better, communicate better, and have overall better outcomes from in person therapy. Others, though, who have busy schedules, gravitate towards online endeavors (like schooling), live in a remote area, or have disabilities that prevent traditional therapy, should consider seeking out a teletherapist. When deciding between in-office or teletherapy, ask yourself: Do I live in an area where I have plenty of choices to see someone in person, that allows me to shop around and provides me with someone that is within the means of my income bracket? Am I physically able to meet someone in their office or will I need accommodations, such as a ramp or sign language interpreter? Do I have any anxieties that will prevent me from expressing myself fully if I meet in person? Remember that you have the option not only for in-person treatment, but also video-conferencing and asynchronous communication (messaging).

What is covered under your insurance?

If you decide to use your insurance, it’s important to learn if therapy is covered in your plan before reaching out to potential providers. Here are some key questions to ask:

• Do I have mental health insurance benefits?

• Do I have in-network or out-of-network benefits?

• Does my insurance cover in-person, video-conferencing, and/or messaging?

• How many sessions per year does my health insurance cover?

• What is the covered amount per therapy session?

• Is approval/referral required from my primary care physician?

• Is prior authorization needed before I can see my therapist?

Also be aware, if you’re not the Primary on your insurance, you’ll need the permission of the Primary to utilize it (for example, you may be on your parents’ or your spouse's insurance plan). Talking with your family about pursuing therapy can be stressful, especially if your family carries a stigma around mental health care. If that’s the case, try to educate them on the benefits of therapy, and present the need for a mental check-up to be just as vital as a medical check-up.

Where do I start looking?

When you’re looking for therapists in your area, there are two approaches you can take.

Referrals

If you did not request a referral from your physician, sometimes the best way to find a good therapist is to ask around elsewhere. Ask family, friends, school counselors, or church leaders. They can all be great resources to point you in the direction of a reputable therapist. You can even ask your current therapist if you’ve found that you can’t continue to see them (your schedules don’t match, one of you moved, etc). 

However, before asking anyone for a referral it’s important to ask yourself two questions:

“Do I trust this person to know that I’m seeking help?”

For some, the idea of pursuing therapy may be uncomfortable, and you may want to err on the side of privacy. So consider who you ask for referrals. You must know you can trust them to act nonjudgmentally and to keep your search confidential.

“Is this person’s reference suited to my needs?”

Therapeutic styles and specializations aren’t universal. While many therapists are qualified to handle diverse issues, it might be important for you to seek out someone who specializes in your issues, your age group, or even your culture. Consider what you need, and choose your therapist to fit those needs. Additionally, if you’ve decided to pay out-of-pocket instead of using insurance, you’ll need to consider if the person you’re asking for a referral has an income stream vastly different than your own.

Internet Search

If you don’t feel comfortable asking around, or if you’re wanting a more extensive list, internet databases are a great place to start. Some insurance plans allow you to search for therapists within a network on their website. Otherwise, therapist directories provide a comprehensive list of therapists in your area. Search by location, type of service (in person or online), specialty, insurance, secondary language proficiency, and more. Additionally, using databases can ensure the legitimacy of your therapist, as they must be vetted in order to be listed.

Top Therapy Databases:

• Psychology Today

• BeingSeen

• GoodTherapy

• International Therapist Directory

• Open Path

• TherapyTribe

• Theravive

What should I look for when selecting my therapist?

While a variety of factors determine how “good” a therapist is, there are four primary considerations to make:

1. Distance and Travel. Therapists often keep a weekly or every-other-week schedule for individual sessions, so ensure that you have consistent access to transportation to their location. If you have to take a train and two unreliable buses to get there, you might want to consider someone closer. The harder it is to get to your therapist, the easier it will be for you to skip out. This also means considering using video or messaging as your primary means of accessing therapy.

2. Insurance and Cost. If your insurance plan covers therapy, make sure the therapist you chose accepts your insurance plan before you schedule your first appointment. If you don’t have insurance and can’t afford the full price, seek out therapists who offer a “sliding scale” based on your income. Depending on what you’re seeking treatment for, therapy can last anywhere from a few weeks to several years.Make sure your commitment to pursuing therapy is supported by your financial situation. You may also want to consider speaking to your company’s HR department to see if you have Employee Assistance Program benefits, which offer a limited amount of free sessions every benefit year that are covered by your employer.

3. Legitimacy and Licensure. When choosing your therapist, make sure they’re a licensed professional, or work under the supervision of a licensed professional. Unfortunately, there are people who take advantage of people in need by saying they provide therapy services. Some red-flags are:

   • Advertising testimonials and endorsements. This practice is considered unethical in the field.

   • Inability or refusal to provide documentation of licensure. If you are unable to confirm their license on their licensing board, or if you see them in person and they do not have their license hanging up in the office, or if you see them online and they cannot show you a copy of their license, then chances are they are practicing without a license. You should be able to confirm the type of license and the state an individual is licensed in. Disclosing this information is both a legal and ethical expectation for therapists.

   • Confusing pricing. It is traditional to have a first session intake price (as the session is longer and requires gathering necessary historical information), a follow up price, a price for obtaining records (or writing letters), and a crisis assistance price (if offered). Most therapists also have a cancellation policy, which comes with a fee. If a potential provider has a confusing payment schedule, or won’t provide you with a copy of their billing policy, then they are not to be trusted. Therapists are legally and ethically expected to be transparent about their fees.

   Goodness of fit. Having a good relationship with your therapist will be the biggest factor in successful treatment. Though the therapeutic relationship is very different from a friendship, here are some similar areas to help you evaluate if the individual you are seeing is a good fit:

• Comfort. When you feel trust, and not judgement, you’re more willing to be honest and vulnerable. It’s doubtful that you’ll disclose your deepest secrets in your first session, but you’ll still  get an intuitive feeling of how well you’ll open up to your provider. You may not find the right therapist the first time, but it’s important to note that if you’re constantly feeling uncomfortable with every potential therapist you meet, then feeling comfortable may be a triggering emotion for you. This may be an area of focus for treatment you were unaware of.

• Respect. A respectful therapist will give you space to talk. They will allow you time to answer their questions. They will also take time to answer your questions. They will acknowledge your culture and not shy away from difficult topics like racism or trauma. They will honor you when you say that you aren’t ready to open up about a certain topic.

• Empathy. Your therapist should be concerned with you and how you are experiencing your issues. Though they may see individuals with similar issues, a good therapist will treat each individual uniquely, addressing their specific needs in treatment. You should never feel like your therapist’s experience means more than yours.

Hopefully, these tips have made finding the right therapist less of a daunting task. In the end, remember that you have permission to feel good, and that you are allowed to utilize good therapy as the tool to help you get to that good feeling.

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